Daimler Trucks Asia starts production of FUSO range in Africa

Daimler Trucks Asia and its Kenyan partners Simba Colt and AVA (Associated Vehicles Assemblers) celebrated the start of CKD production of the all-new robust FUSO range at the AVA assembly plant in Mombasa, Kenya.

Mr. Marc Llistosella, President and CEO of MFTBC and Head of Daimler Trucks Asia commented, “This start of production in Kenya underlines our commitment to further developing the African market as part of our global growth strategy. It also marks another significant development of Daimler’s business on the continent just weeks after the grand opening of the Daimler’s regional center in Nairobi, which brings us closer to our commercial vehicle customers in East, Central and West Africa.”

Mr. Erich Nesselhauf, Managing Director and CEO, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles added, “We have been successfully exporting completely built-up all-new robust FUSO vehicles from India for almost three years – and now we enter the next stage with the assembly of vehicles in Africa, for Africa.”

The project to add the FUSO 2523C heavy-duty truck to the AVA assembly plant’s portfolio was completed in a record time of only five months. Further models from the range will be added subsequently.

Simba Colt Motors has been a partner of FUSO for 48 years, making it one of the oldest general distributor relationships in the Daimler group worldwide. AVA has been the partner for the assembly of FUSO products imported from Japan since 1982.

Daimler Trucks Asia at a Glance

Daimler Trucks Asia (DTA) is an organizational unit that jointly operates Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) – an icon of the Japanese commercial vehicle industry with more than 80 years of its history – and Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), a young challenger in the Indian market. DTA has a strategic business model that allows its group entities to collaborate in product development, production, exports, sourcing and research activity to provide the best of value products.

MFTBC at a Glance

Based in Kawasaki, Japan, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) is one of Asia’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers. In 2015, the company sold a total of about 154,200 vehicles including light-, medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses as FUSO brand. Daimler AG owns 89.29% and various Mitsubishi group companies own 10.71% of MFTBC shares. MFTBC is an integral part of the Daimler Trucks division of Daimler AG.

DICV at a Glance

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) is a 100% subsidiary of Daimler AG, Stuttgart, Germany. DICV is a full-fledged commercial vehicle player in the Indian market. It currently produces and sells above 9 to 49 tons trucks for the Indian volume market, under the brand BharatBenz. BharatBenz stands for Indian engineering with German DNA. Under its bus division, the company produces and sells BharatBenz buses and Mercedes-Benz buses from its manufacturing plant at Oragadam. Bharat-Benz products have been engineered to serve all major customer segments with a focus on total-cost-of ownership, safety, reliability and comfort. The DICV-built FUSO trucks from Oragadam are exported to markets in South East Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

The state-of-the-art production plant at Oragadam, near Chennai, spreads over 400 acres (160 hectares). It includes a modern test track designed to simulate Indian conditions – making it one of its kinds in Asia. DICV has made an initial investment of 4,400cr and additional 425cr for the bus plant facility (approximately €750 million). Sustainability being a core of Daimler’s corporate culture, DICV will focus on creating efficient, reliable and ecologically friendly products.

AVA (Associated Vehicles Assemblers) at a Glance

Associated Vehicle Assemblers Limited (AVA Ltd.), located in Mombasa, Kenya, was established in 1975 near both the port and airport. It started its operation in 1977 and owned by Simba Corporation and Marshalls East Africa Ltd.

Simba Colt Motors at a Glance

Simba Colt Motors, located in Nairobi, Kenya, was established in 1968 as a distributor of passenger cars and the Canter light-duty truck for Mitsubishi Motors Corporation. It operates sales and service facilities in Nairobi and Mombasa, and also has an extensive dealer network across the country. Simba Colt Motors covers the complete range of FUSO vehicles from light-, medium- to heavy-duty trucks as well as buses.